COACH ENIO: 7 steps to becoming a relentless competitor

When we think of a competitive athlete, we think of people like Milan
Lucic of the Boston Bruins, Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens
and Michael Jordan, former Chicago Bull. These players play the game
with a passionate heart that will let nothing get in their way. They
leave everything they have on the playing or practice field. They never
give up no matter what. They are relentless. A relentless competitor is
determined, ferocious, uncompromising, unrelenting and unstoppable! This
article is for players who want to learn how to be a relentless
competitor and for coaches and parents who want to help them get there.

Relentless competitors have grit and guts, they never give in or burn
out, they have the intestinal fortitude to win every battle and do
their all to win every game. They are mentally strong and overcome every
criticism, challenge, setback or obstacle that crosses their path. They
keep their eye on the ultimate goal and do not dwell on the negative.
Rather, they look for solutions and just keep on ploughing through.

To be a relentless competitor, one must look at the overall picture.
It’s not a one-time, one-game, one-practice thing, it’s a consistent
attitude that is brought to every practice, game and season.

The good news is that becoming a relentless competitor is a learned
skill. It is important to note that the drive to be relentless must come
from within. Parents, coaches, mentors, teammates or any other outside
parties can’t make you into a relentless competitor.

Here are seven things that you can do to help you learn and develop the skill of a relentless competitor:

1. PASSION. You have to find something that you love. When
you find what you love, you will develop a passion for it. Passion gives
a feeling of enthusiasm and excitement about practicing, training, and
playing games, it helps build your desire and devotion. Playing and
practicing with passion will eliminate your fears and help you to go
into the danger areas, compete for pucks and do things above and beyond
what you expect. Dan Coyle, author of the book, The Talent Code: Greatness isn’t born. It’s Grown,
says passion works in your brain like rocket fuel. It makes learning
fast and fun. It helps you determine why you are playing and what gets
you excited.

2. SET GOALS. You need to take the time to think about what
you want, as all relentless competitors are goal driven. It’s best once
you establish your goals to write them down on paper. The S.M.A.R.T.
system is a very good formula to use for setting goals. It works as
follows: Specific – you know exactly what you want. Measurable – you
have to find a way to measure your goal so that you can keep track of
your progress. Attitude – you have to be willing to put the time in and
do the work, it is all about your attitude. Realistic – the goal must be
doable. You have to develop a realistic plan that you can live up to,
slightly stretch yourself! Timed – have a clear target date as to when
you intend to reach your goal. When you have planned goals you can
reevaluate and make changes as you go. By setting YOUR own goals (not
those of coaches or parents), you will go for them with a firm
COMMITMENT!

3. COMMITMENT CONTRACT. Make a deal with yourself. To even
further firm up your commitment to be a relentless competitor, you can
think about some of the things you need to do at practices and games.
You can do this exercise for a segment of the season or a whole season
or playoff run. Promise yourself you are going to do the things you say
you are going to do. Pick four to six things and write them down in the
form of a contract. For example: For the next 10 games I commit to: 1.
Work hard and compete at every drill and in every game, 2. I will
practice my one-on-one skills, making sure to play the body every time.
Once the contract is complete, sign it, have a teammate sign it and a
coach or parent sign it. With a commitment contract, you will increase
your self confidence, boost yourself into action and give yourself the
power to outwork and outperform all the athletes around you!

4. SELF TALK. As we all know, your worst enemy is yourself.
How many times have you talked yourself into a mindset that you cannot
do something or that you are too slow or too tired? We call this the
“monkey mind.” Your mind will race all over the place and fill you with
reasons why you cannot do something. You need to “tame the monkey” and
be aware of what you are saying to yourself. Create a few statements
that are related to your passion, your goals and your commitment
contract. These statements must be positive, present tense and personal,
such as, “I am a competitive player, I am first to pucks and am
fearless when I go into the corners”. We call these statements
affirmations. Write them down on a cue card that you carry with you and
repeat your affirmations several times a day. Repeat any of the
affirmations that are related to your on ice play when you are out
there. Affirmations help you stay focused, positive, control the monkey
mind and take out any fear of failure!

5. AVOID COMPARISONS TO OTHERS. There are
always athletes that are not as talented as you or athletes that are
better than you. Comparisons to others are not going to help you. Use
your energy to compare yourself to yourself. After practices and games,
rate yourself, keep a journal—how did it go, what can you do better? At
the next practice or game, review your last one and prepare yourself to
compete harder and be better. You will get better by keeping a
comparison of yourself and not others. Be prepared to push yourself
outside of your comfort zone. That is how you will get better and become
a relentless competitor!

6. LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES. We all make
mistakes but it’s imperative that we don’t dwell on them. Analyze what
happened, learn from it and let it go! The most competitive athletes
have poor short term memories when it comes to mistakes. Spend more time
and energy on your successes. How did it feel during that game when you
were in the zone and winning every battle? Visualize it and keep a
movie in your brain. Have a “growth mindset” and focus on the positive
and most of all on your 100 per cent effort.

7. STUDY THE GAME. You have a passion for
your sport. Take the time to watch games on TV. Watch the most
competitive players. Watch players like Lucic (power forward) and
Gallagher (skill player). Check out their techniques, how they angle
when going into corners, how they are first on pucks, how they compete.
Pick your own superstar. Even though you are a unique individual and you
have to be yourself, you can mimic and act like your idol.

As a final reminder, having a passion for something and
being a relentless competitor must come from within. Parents, coaches,
teachers, friends, and advisors cannot do it for you! It is a learned
skill that you can and must work on every day.

“If you’re going to be a real athlete—you better be
relentless—for us it’s all about the next play. It does not matter what
happened on the last play. Every new play has a life and history of
it’s own—that’s what you focus on.” - Alan Williams (from teammatesmatter.com)

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